Nightfall
by TheSparklyEspeon
Summary: (Written from Buneary's POV) After an unpredictable accident occurs, Buneary and Pikachu somehow end up stranded together in a dark and mysterious forest. As time goes on, and they struggle to make their way back to their trainers, secrets and mysteries are uncovered, some of which may change their perception of the place forever. Pikachu x Buneary (Obviously.)


**A/N**

 **So... I'm not dead! Yay! Before you get to reading this, umm... thing, I just want to mention a few things! ..Sorry. Firstly, I don't really know where this story is going. I basically pulled this chapter together in an afternoon, and am posting it on a whim because I really want motivation to keep writing, and if I become committed, it's the best way to do it. So yeah, I might end up going anywhere with this story, so don't expect it to end up making too much sense! xDD Also, because I'm writing this as I go along, there might be long spaces between updates, but hopefully I won't end up abandoning this? Also, this might not be very consistent; heck, I might even change the title halfway through! Ehhh whatever, hope you enjoy this basically spontaneous Lagomorph Fic! (Or don't, your choice.)**

 **~Sparkly**

"Be careful Buneary," my trainer Dawn tells me cautiously as she grips me protectively tighter in her arms. I nod in understanding as her friend and travelling companion Ash Ketchum turns around to briefly catch her eye.

"Yeah, you too Pikachu," he adds after a moment of silence. "You don't want to end up… Down there…" He gestures vaguely to the side of the path, where the cliff edge gives way suddenly to an almost unnaturally steep drop, and the thick woods below seem _very_ far away.

I feel Dawn's arms shake for a second – obviously she doesn't like the idea of ending up at the mercy of that drop, and to be honest, I don't blame her. I shudder at the thought of my own broken body, lying in a pool of blood on the rocks, slowly rotting away over time until-

"Are you okay?"

I look up, startled to see Pikachu gazing back at me concernedly from Ash's shoulder. I gulp nervously, and he meets my gaze before hesitantly adding, "It's just, you looked kinda worried, and I thought maybe…" He trails off, obviously coming to the conclusion that the sentence isn't worth finishing.

I can almost feel the blush spreading across my face as I meet his soft, deep brown eyes, but, hoping he doesn't notice – he doesn't usually, as far as I'm aware – I force myself to answer.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just…" I glance away, hesitant to finish my sentence. It's not like it isn't obvious, and anyway, _he_ won't be bothered by it. He's _always_ fearless, and stands up against every enemy without hesitation: Team Rocket, Team Galactic, Pokémon Hunter J – even the gods of time and space didn't scare him! Luckily, he follows my gaze off the edge of the cliff, and seems to make the connection without too much trouble.

"What, the cliff?"

"Nooo, this sweet little daisy down here."

He raises his eyebrows, and I laugh as his puzzled expression is swiftly replaced by one of amusement, before he finally grins at me.

"Oh Arceus, not the daisies! _They're returning…_ "

I giggle to myself as he pretends to faint backwards over Ash's shoulder, before our laughter subsides, and a more serious expression crosses his face.

"Seriously though, don't worry. I'll make sure I rush to your rescue if anything happens. Like… a knight in shining armour. Or something."

I tilt my head to the side in a feeble attempt at looking entirely unimpressed, although I doubt it has the desired effect, as this time Pikachu practically does fall backwards from laughing so hard. I try to keep a straight face, but soon I'm smiling too, and all traces of worry are pushed far to the back of my mind. When he's finally pulled himself together and the path is silent again – well, besides the scraping of our trainers' feet on the rocky mountain path - he leans towards me once more, with an indecipherable smile on his face.

"Still, there really is no need to worry. Well, not about the cliff. _Maybe,_ we should all be worrying about the TERRIFYING GIANT FLOWER MEADOWS up ahead!"

I squeal in mock terror as he gestures frantically along the path to where the most peaceful looking expanse of field I've ever seen lies in wait for us, looking _extremely_ menacing. This time, I really am free of worry when I speak again.

" _Oh Arceus, not the sunflowers…"_

As we continue our walk along the path in relative silence, I find myself lost deep in thought for about the millionth time today. I do it a lot, actually. I completely lose track of my surroundings, and other people seem to blend into the scenery with relative ease. In fact, half of the time, I don't even know what I'm thinking about – just that I'm thinking. Every so often, a sense of impending doom crosses my mind, but I wipe it away immediately each time. It's better not to think about things like that. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

I am snapped back into the real world immediately by an unsettling feeling, like I'm being watched. I glance up curiously to see Pikachu staring back at me, seemingly in some kind of dream state. I wonder if that's what I look like when I'm zoned out?

"You okay there?" I ask, raising my eyebrows as he snaps to attention, shaking his head briefly from side to side as if waking from some kind of sleep, "Back to the real world yet?"

Considering the amount of time the other pokémon spend teasing me about my little habit, I believe I'm allowed to do the same to him every once in a while. As his eyes become more focused, he shakes his head in disbelief, although a small grin is spreading across his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for sounding so concerned." I laugh as he continues, "The sun was in my eyes, that's all. I was trying to avoid looking at it."

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you. You definitely weren't daydreaming. At all."

He stares at me in mock amazement. "Moi? Daydreaming? Why would you ever suggest such a thing?"

I glance swiftly upwards in an attempt to steal a look at the sun, glaring down at us from high in the sky. As bad as his excuse is, he does have a point; it seems so strong that I feel I have to look down again immediately, for fear of damaging my eyes, or at the very least getting a headache. Still, I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he's right, even if it is only small. So I just shake my head at his antics, a small smile on my face. He grins knowingly at me. He always seems to know when he's got me beaten. It must be some annoying skill of his.

After I'm sure that Pikachu's focused on the path ahead, I glance up at the sky once more. The sun really is bright now; almost unbearably so. I mean, it _is_ summer, but that doesn't mean I need desert climates to remind me of that fact. Typical Sinnoh weather. Just as my eyes are beginning to adjust to the sunlight – well, to some extent, at least – a grey cloud covers the sky, blocking out almost all light completely. I'm just about to express my distaste at this to Pikachu, when I realise that the smoky substance is still spreading, and it's certainly not a cloud. This is when a familiar voice fills the air, and I groan as the once calm mountain air is ruined once again by the commotion that these three characters seem to bring with them wherever they go.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me, loud and clear!"

"On the wi-"

"Past the stars, in your ear, yeah, yeah, _we get it already!_ " The three incapable villains stand shrouded in shadow as Ash interrupts them, impatiently drawing a pokéball from his pocket.

"We really don't have time for this," Dawn adds, unimpressed, although I can feel her arms tighten around me a little as he steps forwards towards them.

"Use Fire Fang," he commands as the pokéball opens to reveal Gliscor, who turns his grey head towards his trainer in a nod of confirmation, before jumping into action, ready to send Team Rocket flying. Unfortunately, James interrupts before it has the chance.

"Not this time, twerps. We planned for this." Quick as a flash, he reaches behind him, and throws some unidentifiable object in Ash's direction, which acts like a boomerang; returning to the man before anyone can stop it. From here, I don't have a very clear view of the details; all I can see is that it is large, spherical and transparent – and that it now contains _Pikachu?!_

Despite my initial instinct apparently being to freeze completely still and cease breathing altogether, Ash doesn't seem at all fazed; I suppose he's used to it by now, and besides, his over-confident attitude always seems to show through at times like these – which can have varying effects on the situation. This has always been the biggest characteristic that the pokémon and his trainer share: they both show no hesitation in standing up for their friends, no matter what's at stake, or how impossible the odds may seem. He acts fast.

"Gliscor, _use X-Scissor, quickly!"_

As the flying scorpion launches its powerful attack straight at them, an unmistakable look of horror crosses their faces, although I fail to believe it could be as bad as the expression that I wear as they are lifted off the ground. Because, as Ash yells in triumph at his 'victory', I appear to be the only one who notices that the capsule which encases my friend is quickly slipping from James' grasp, and it's sure not going to land on the path. In a moment of madness, I suddenly find myself remembering every time he's saved us all, every time he's saved _me_ , and all of the times we've spent laughing together. And I realise I can't let him go alone, even though I know I'll be no use to him whatsoever. Which is why, against my better judgement, I wrench myself free of Dawn's grip almost violently, and leap through the air, after my friend, and far away from the edge of the path.

And then, almost too slowly, we're falling to the ground…


End file.
